Ostracised
by dunnoifGraluorNalu
Summary: 【AU】 These days, she's been crying a lot. They hate her at school. 【Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, some Romance】【 NaLu】[Complete]
1. Past

**HI MINNAH!**

**I'm back! With a three-shot!**

**This little fic is dedicated to MythandFairyTailLover13! Thanks for being awesome!**

**Disclaimer: The reason I dabble in fanfiction is because I've got no mages of my own...*sniff sniff* Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

**Right. A warning first, alright? if you haven't noticed, this is labeled Angst and Friendship. The friendship bit will appear later, so this chapter is mostly angst. You have been warned. **

**So, enjoy!**

* * *

These days she's been crying a lot.

Of course, she never lets them out in public. They would laugh at her if she did.

She waits, with a throbbing pain in her chest, until she gets home, until she is in the safety of her locked room, before letting her tears fall.

**~o~**

They hate her at school.

She's not sure why, she just knows they do. You don't need a reason to hate after all.

She's the rich girl without a mother, the lonely girl who's father is too busy to care.

They laugh, they kick, they point, but no one talks to her.

They taunt, though.

Their fingers pointed laughingly at her back, they do everything to make her school life hell.

_It's just not fair._

_What did I ever do to you?_

Her table is at the back of the classroom, where she sits, alone and out of sight. The teachers have tried to talk to her before, but eventually, they stop trying.

Sometimes, when her classmates feel like it, they draw on her locker and take away her table and chair.

Then, she stands throughout the day, because no one is willing to lend her another set.

She takes it all in silently.

She's the last person to be picked in gym, the lone person who completes the group project works alone.

Anyone who associates with her is promptly ignored as well.

After school, she stands alone in the hallway as people run past, calling her names, and occasionally hitting her with a punch or two.

Gajeel is being strangely bold today, she noted, as the pierced male lands a fist on her face.

She stands back up, training her eyes on the ground.

They punch her again, his and his lackeys, guffawing happily.

Even then, she doesn't cry, even though she can feel the tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

She never lays a finger on them, even though she's pretty sure she can hit them back better than they ever could to her.

But she doesn't.

She doesn't want to make them hate her even more.

After all, she's pretty sure she can take the malice, the punches, the taunts.

Her silence is her shield.

But even the Shield of Aegis will crack.

_Eventually._

**~o~**

She realises that she doesn't smile anymore.

Her face is permanently pulled into a blank stare.

She scares herself a little sometimes.

Because behind her hazel orbs, she can see nothing.

Even though she tried to capture the essences of emotions in them, they fade eventually, day after day.

She's growing vain, she realises.

Before she leaves for school everyday, she stands for ten minutes in front of the mirror, trying to see the rustle of emotions behind her eyes.

There's nothing there anymore.

She isn't supposed to be like this, but she feels that she's loosing control over herself preternaturally.

She tries to stop herself, but her grip is slackening.

She can't.

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia." she whispered, as if reminding herself.

Nothing registers on her face.

No.

"I am 16."

The mask doesn't crack, so she pulls a face.

She can't.

Her face doesn't respond, her cheeks stays in place.

She tries to smile, and she can.

But it looks too fake, too plastic, too brittle.

It's not her smile.

Perhaps it can fool the world, but she can't fool her heart.

It's not a smile.

**~o~**

She never talks at school.

No one talks to her, so she doesn't try.

Even when they taunt her, tease her, she simply looks through them like they weren't there.

Her days are spent in silence, and once, she has even gone through a week without talking.

If she doesn't try hard enough, sometimes she can't remember her voice.

"Hello." she tries, looking at her reflection.

Her voice is dead. Empty.

Her lips form the familiar syllables, but it feels strange.

"Hello." she tries again, attempting to bring back the bubbly cheeriness in her voice.

Maybe a smile would work.

So she smiles, and makes her voice a pitch higher. "Hi!"

It doesn't work anymore.

She looks like a puppet being controlled with invisible strings.

She is no longer herself.

**~o~**

It's a little pathetic how she tries.

Everyday by the mirror.

She mocks her efforts.

She wishes she can just leave herself alone–vanish and cease to exist.

But she can't.

She hates herself, and she knows it.

She curls into her duvet, and closes her eyes. Let the silence envelope her.

Take me away, take me away.

Sometimes, she can even fool herself.

But when she dares to open her eyes, she back.

The duvet is damp against her trembling body, the clock ticking, and she knows she will never be able to leave her life behind.

Though it can't hurt to dream, can it?

**~o~**

The knife glints invitingly in the dark, and she reaches for it.

The blood shimmers when she's done. She figures that it doesn't matter, since she's already hurting anyway.

One more cut wouldn't do much harm.

But the number of cuts on her arm is far from one.

Because one she starts, she can't stop.

It makes her feel alive.

The pain is her only link to reality.

She feels herself slipping away slowly, but the agony anchors her to the real world.

The blood drips onto the slick tiles, mingling with her tears.

**~o~**

She's being crying a lot lately.

* * *

**Wooh! So that's the first chapter done. I apologise for the terrible grammar. I am, unfortunately, still beta-less. Don't hesitate to PM if you spot any mistakes, and I'll change it ASAP, alright?**

**To ****MythandFairyTailLover13, I hope you enjoyed this!**

**Reviews=Love, so review lots, and tell me how it was.**

**After all, that will motivate me...haha.**

**Can't say when the next chapter will be up though...**

**Oh well. Seeya next time!**


	2. Present

**Hi! Thank you to everyone who has followed, reviewed and favourited this story. I really appreciate it. **

**I'm at China now, yeah! Consider this a Christmas update, since it's Christmas here. Although I'm sure it doesn't apply to all of my readers, MERRY CHRISTMAS/CHRISTMAS EVE/THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS WHICH I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S CALLED. YAYYY!**

** Disclaimer: I own so little, so please don't sue.**

**This is the second instalment to the Ostracised series. I hope everyone enjoys!**

* * *

She's never seen him around here before.

His bright salmon hair catches her eye as she leaves the canteen slowly.

He's new, and unsurprisingly, he's already made friends with everyone.

Everyone but her.

** ~o~**

"Hey."

She assumes whoever was speaking wasn't talking to her.

They usually weren't.

He taps her shoulder tentatively. "Erm...Hey."

She glances at him briefly, before turning back and flipping another page of her book.

He drops into the seats next to her, grinning. "I'm the new guy."

_I can see that_, she notes irritatably, _now go away._

"Hey, don't you ever talk?"

_No._

She flips another page impassively.

"Helloooo~"

With another flicker of annoyance, she slams her book shut and walks out, leaving the slightly stunned boy behind.

** ~o~**

"Hey."

"Hey. My name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

"Hey."

"Heyy."

"Hello?"

She has no idea how he got her number.

"Hey."

She let's the phone fall back into the cradle, and continues staring emotionlessly at her book.

He wasn't worth her time.

** ~o~**

They've taken her table and chair away again.

She walks into the classroom and sees that the spot where she usually sits is empty.

Her table has probably been moved to the canteen–Gajeel's foolproof way of making sure that she wouldn't be able to bring it back, because the classroom was five storeys up—and her chair has been propped up at the side for Gray to use as a footstool.

Despite all that, Natsu is the only one complaining, and Gajeel takes him to the side, smirking.

"You shouldn't meddle with things that aren't of your concern, pretty boy."

Natsu flares with rage, but before he can say a word, the teacher walks in and starts the lesson.

Lucy takes her place at the corner, putting her bag down on the floor and standing.

He, however, remains as rigid as a pole.

"Please take your seat, Dragneel-san."

The teacher tuts disapprovingly.

"But _Miss_—"

There is a strange glint in her eye as the teacher lets the book flop onto the table with a loud slap.

"I said, sit down, Dragneel-san."

He tries to protest, but seeing the look that the older female is shooting, drops reluctantly into his seat.

He's twitching, she realises.

Halfway through the lesson, his twitching turns into trembles, and suddenly, he stands up.

"Dragneel-san!" the teacher exclaims sharply, but he glowers.

"Shut the _fuck_ up."

He lifts his table easily and moves across the aisle, before slamming it down in front of her.

The class is eerily quiet as he walks back wordlessly, and does the same with the chair.

"Sit." he tells her, before walking back to his empty square of space at the side of the classroom.

The teacher is stunned into silence.

For a minute, no one speaks, and the only sound is the steady whirring of the fans.

The quiescence is frightening.

Until the teacher picks up her book hurriedly and stammers, "Um...please see me after school, Dragneel-san, and refrain from using such obscene words in class. Now, moving on..."

He shoots her a cheeky smile, one which she doesn't return.

Instead, she sinks slowly into the offered chair mutely.

He doesn't seem to mind that he would have to spend the next two hours standing either.

**~o~**

The word 'Loser' is permanently emblazoned on her locker.

The words are harsh and angular, the strokes jutting out sharply. Written in black marker, they remind her of what she is.

_Loser._

She knows who the culprit is.

It's hard not to, especially when said culprit moseys down the hallway, snickering, and occasionally announcing with triumph, "I wrote that. Cool, eh?"

She doesn't do anything about it.

She tries not to let the words affect her.

It's difficult. Everyone calls her that nowadays.

"Looooser!" Sting, the blonde from the other class, laughs as he speeds past.

Loser.

She stays silent. It's not wise to provoke anyone.

What surprises her most is that when she arrives at her locker, after another gruelling day, there is a huge crowd.

Until most crowds, this one is hardly rowdy. In fact, they seem to be watching something, or someone, reverently.

She pushes through the throes of people, who, in return, kick her and shove her along.

When she finally emerges, tired and sore, she is met with a sight that makes her drop her books.

He squats by her locker, a sponge in hand, and a bucket of soapy water at his feet.

Suds are dripping down the metal frame, and the words are almost gone.

He looks up at the noise, and smiles.

"Hey."

She doesn't reply, and he turns back, scrubbing hard at the offending words.

It takes a long time to make the words disappear– the entire afternoon, in fact– and when he is done, he drops the sponge back into the pail and makes his way out of the crowd without a word.

Before he leaves, he shoots her a hundred-watt beam, and like always, she doesn't return it.

She waits for the crowd to dispel, before opening the now-clean locker and dumping her books inside.

When he finally walks out of the toilet, she pretends not to see that his hands are red-raw from all the scrubbing.

**~o~**

"Hey."

He's back again. His hands have healed, she notes with satisfaction—and, perhaps, a tinge of relief.

Silently, she debates whether to ignore him like always. He seems hell-bent on sparking a reaction in her, after all.

"Hey." he repeats, like he always does.

Finally, she nods slightly, and a huge grin spreads on his face.

"YES! YOU FINALLY RESPONDED!" he cheers, leaping in the air and laughing.

There is a small frown of disapproval on her face, but she decides not to do anything about it. Perhaps she had been a little harsh on him.

He can cheer all he wants.

**~o~**

"Pick me, Natsu-san!"

"No, me! Natsu-kun!"

"I want to pair with Dragneel-sama!"

The teacher sighs as Natsu tries to reject them as graciously as he can.

"I'm sorry. I have a partner picked out already." he pacified, and the lot of them bubble with indignation.

"But, Natsu-kun!"

"I want to pair with Lucy." he announces loud and clear to the entire class.

Their mouths drop open with shock.

Then, they start protesting, and it's back to square one, with him trying to calm the ferocious fangirls.

And they turn on her.

"Wench!"

"Whore!"

"Slut!"

She tunes out their insults the way she always does, and continues on with her work.

It's like he's the prince, and she's the unwilling Cinderella.

And the rest of them are the excitable girls waiting for the prince to pick them.

She just wishes he'll leave her alone.

**~o~**

She waits, anxiously, as the teacher drones on about the exam rules.

This was a test that she had not studied for, and she wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.

Perhaps he has noticed the slight change in her expression, the tight line her lips are set in, and the fact that she has been gripping her skirt, her knuckles white.

He bends down to scribble something into a slip of paper, before folding it and flinging it across the room.

The wonky paper airplane swoops across the aisle and lands on her lap after a jagged somersault.

She blinks at it for a moment, before glancing back at the pink-haired male.

He shoots her a grin, and slowly, she unfolds it and straightens the creases.

"Good Luck."

She stares at the messy words that slope down, and are slightly squashed in the middle, unsure of what she was supposed to feel.

Happy? Touched? Annoyed? Exasperated?

After another moment or so, she settles with the latter, crumpling the sheet of paper into a tight ball.

With a fluid flick of her wrists, she tosses the balled paper across the room. The uneven sphere spins into a perfect arc, and falls into the wastepaper-basket with a light rustle.

She dusts her hands slightly, and shoots the male a fleeting look.

If she were in a position to, she would have smirked.

To her faint disappointment, he seems to have a positively amused smile on his face.

**~o~**

They've hit her again.

Today, it isn't Gajeel.

It's Laxus, the senior from one of the higher classes.

It hurts more today, because it's in front on everyone that he kicks her.

They've restrained Natsu at the other side of the hallway. He's spitting and screaming.

The way he yells her name thaws her heart a little.

He cares about her.

When Laxus is about to punch her again, he pulls free from Gajeel, and barrels down the hallway.

She's never seen anyone run that fast.

He slams Laxus into a locker and snarls. "Don't you dare touch her."

No one speaks when Principal Makarov picks up his beaten grandson, ten minutes later.

Laxus is hissing like a wounded cat, but he hardly spares the scarred male a glance. He's looking at her.

"You okay?"

She faintly notes that her legs are numb, and her hips are throbbing slightly where he kicked her.

She nods, before picking up her bag.

She's touched that he is concerned about her.

Touched that he cares.

**~o~**

"Hey."

Whenever he appears and repeats his friendly greeting, she never speaks to him.

Instead, she just nods in acknowledgement, and continues with whatever she's been doing.

This time, however, it's different.

This time, she puts down her book, looks up, and smiles softly at him.

She's thankful, she realises. Thankful that he's there. Thankful that he cares, and she'll never be alone.

His mouth drops open with shock, mingled with surprised joy.

Somewhere in her, something bubbles in triumph.

If he thinks that's surprising, then he's going to be stumped.

In the cheerfullest voice she can muster, she says,

"Hey, Natsu."

* * *

**Hope everyone enjoys.**

**Review, review, and review lots!**

**Byee~~**


	3. Future

**HI EVERYONE! I'm sorry for the long period of inactiveness. I've been reading a lot, 'gathering information' and whatnot, so I was really embarrassed to find that my last update was nearly a month ago, and ****_YES_****, time passes ****_so_**** fast (too fast, in fact).**

**Also, even though this isn't a valid excuse, my sister brought back one of those furry Furby things that are ****_absolutely cute_****, and my entire family was like utterly smitten with them, and I was no exception. Honestly, I think I was the worst of them all. I've just returned from an hour of Furby fangirling (I'm not childish, just so you know. They're just ****_really_**** cute), so...here you are.**

**Hah, I've been rambling a lot. So, enjoy...the final instalment of the Ostracised series.**

**Disclaimer: I ****_still_**** own nothing.**

* * *

These days, she's been smiling a lot.

Once everyone knew she was hanging out with The Natsu, they start bullying her a lot less, resigning themselves to dirty looks shot whenever Natsu's back was turned, or when she's alone.

But once Natsu brings her to his group, and makes her introduce herself properly, they stopped entirely.

Maybe because after her introduction, Natsu had smiled a tad evilly and said that whoever was messing with her would be messing with him as well.

And no one wanted to mess with Natsu Dragneel.

**~o~**

She talks a lot more now.

She can't be branded as talkative, but she's not silent, and the teachers who have once given up on her try harder than before.

She's not the last to be picked in the gym class anymore.

And because she isn't, she makes sure no one is. She knows the feeling of being abandoned, and she knows how much it hurts, so she makes sure no one will ever have to feel that way.

She has her own group, a group of the previously rejected, and she's happy with them. She makes them feel welcome, and in return, they offer friendship, and a listening ear.

She cares for them like a sister would, and they care for her like a group of silbings. She feels warm with them, and she never rejects anyone who comes seeking refuge, friendship, and a new start.

In fact, _Gajeel_ is amongst them.

**~o~**

Now, she does her group projects with Natsu.

It feels strange, working with people.

When you're alone, there's no one to disagree, no one to argue with, and no one to contradict your opinions.

Also, no one to point out your mistakes.

In short, no one who cares.

**~o~**

Everyone likes her better at school now.

Gajeel had apologised relentlessly, until she had insisted that it was fine, and made him promise to start anew.

She has a second best friend.

Levy McGarden.

But of course, no one could hold a candle to Natsu.

**~o~**

He said that he liked her smile.

The first time she had smiled for him, a huge, _genuine_ smile, he had blushed and told her. "You look beautiful."

So these days she tries to smile a lot more.

_Just for him._

**~o~**

She's a lot less vain now.

The mirror is pushed to a remote corner in her room.

But whenever she pays her rare visit to the gleaming glass, she notes with a faint satisfaction that her eyes are much more full of life.

The emotions are back.

She's not empty anymore.

**~o~**

She spends her time after school with him.

They laugh, joke, fool around, and have fun.

He tries to make her laugh more with his stupid antics, and she remembers that, once, he had fallen into the fountain at the mall after congaing on ledge, and she had been screaming with laughter throughout the entire walk home.

Whenever she's with him, she ends up returning home late, grubby, jaded, and giggling like a madman.

Her father doesn't stop her.

He's too busy to know and too preoccupied to care.

And, in a sense, it's for the better.

He probably wouldn't have liked to hear that his only daughter was fooling around with a boy after school anyway.

**~o~**

Sometimes, Natsu's more like an bodyguard than an overly-protective friend.

But, sometimes, he's both.

He punches anyone who dares to hurt her, and threatens those who try.

She trusts him completely, _entirely_, and he trusts her back.

**~o~**

She likes him.

Not in that way, of course. As a friend.

As a _best_ friend.

Thought she has a feeling he likes her a whole lot more than that.

**~o~**

He was horrified when he knew that she used to cut herself.

He threw out all her knives and razors, and made her promise to never do that again.

She was about to come out with a brilliant retort when she saw the look in his eyes.

It was fear, worry and love.

It was a whole lot different from what a friend would have looked like.

So she swallowed her dry remark and promised him.

"I swear I won't do that again."

He had offered her his pinky solemnly, and she had curled her pinky around his, every bit as serious as him.

When they were done, he had smiled in relief.

It was the first time he had ever smiled like that.

It was also the first time he had kissed her.

_"Luce, you know I love you right?"_

**~o~**

She doesn't cry anymore.

* * *

**Yes, congaing is a word. **

**So, since this is the last chapter, please review, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or followed this.**

**To MythandFairyTailLover13, I really hoped you enjoyed this. Stay wonderful. A huge thank you to pandasxpocky, StellaLuna24, Aquos35, Banana-chan, Pewdiecry is love, and Guest for being the awesomest reviewers (and I sincerely hope I didn't spell your name wrong).**

**Honestly, I didn't like this chapter. Hmm...it was too short, in my opinion. And, I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the second chap. Oh well.**

**Please review everyone, and lots and lots of love, from yours sincerely,**

**-Dunno-chan (me new alias)**

**Bye~~**


End file.
